Friday, September 19, 2014

THE SECESSION QUESTION I WANT ASKED

I'm not particularly alarmed at the fact that a Reuters poll finds 23.9% of Americans supporting secession for their state -- Zogby did a similar poll in 2008, at the end of the Bush years and found 18% support for home-state secession and 22% support for the notion that "any state or region has the right to peaceably secede and become an independent republic."

Now, according to Reuters, secession gets "more support from Republicans than Democrats, more from right- than left-leaning independents, more from younger than older people, more from lower- than higher-income brackets, more from high school than college grads." In '08, support was "slightly higher in the South (26%) and the East (24%) ... backing was strongest among younger adults ... the highest percentage agreeing with the right to secede was among Hispanics (43%) and African-Americans (40%).... Politically, liberal thinkers were much more likely to favor the right to secession for states and regions.... The more education a respondent had, the less likely they were to support secession." So the young and the less educated are always more in favor, and then, beyond that, it seems that groups affiliated with the out party in D.C. want to secede. Because of the latter, I don't think this secession fever is particularly entrenched; elect a Republican president and all the right-leaners who want to split will suddenly be happier.

But the question I want asked in the next poll of this kind is: Would you support a secession movement by some state or region of the country other than your own, and if so, which one? I'd love to know how many Northerners would like the South to leave, and vice versa; I'm sure right-wingers want to be rid of Hollywood or (now that 9/11 memories are fading and our mayor is a big pinko) New York City. (I'd be happy to show Texas the door, but that's just me.) Come on, someone -- poll this. Who should be voted off the island?

9 comments:

Philo Vaihinger said...

Don't confuse secession with expulsion.

Either way, it's a case by case thing. No need for generalities we will only regret.

Victor said...

I wouldn't mind if the entire Deep Southern Red States seceded.

But that's a purely emotional response.

And, after a few years of "pure" conservatism down there, how would we deal with all of the refugees and immigrants?

Palli said...

I would suggest secession for several states but only if there was a well funded an exchange program established so people could relocate. Perhaps we would even need an underground railroad again.

SW1 said...

I would support all the original states of the confederacy leaving except Louisiana, because New Orleans.
I also wouldn't object if Kansas and Indiana wanted to leave.
As a NYC resident, I frequently wish we could secede from the rest of the state.

Never Ben Better said...

Sure, let the Confederacy secede -- but pull out all the military hardware and for damn sure get all the nukes out first.

Raymond Smith said...

The next poll should address which states they are in. Then all military bases should be emptied of personnel and equipment. Next all federal offices and dollars should be stopped to these states. Let them see what it would be like without the US Government.

Anonymous said...

Steve: are you being glib about Texas secession? I hope so, as that would be a terrible idea.

I also hope the other commenters above are not serious about the south seceding. It would definitely be a net negative for both us and them.

But Texas would be worse than most since they've got oil and are a rare red state that gives more to the Federal Government than it takes.

rickstersherpa@msn.com said...

There is not an insignicant chance that Tom Corbin and their right will get a current wet dream, a "Constitutional Convention" in which every state gets and equal vote, e.g. Alabama gets and equal vote with California and South Carolina with New York. They will attempt to get their Plutocratic and "Balance Budget" rules, along with "Life" and "Christianity" established as the American religion, as well as getting rid of the inconvenient parts of the Bill of Rights and "13th, 14th, and 15th amendments." However, such a "Convention" would also afford the states that reject it the legal opportunity of "Secession." (Northeast and Great Lakes") Of course whether such a "divorce" could be non-violent is a very open question, especially since 1) America's conservative elite would be horrified at the loss of power and authority in world that a United States break up would entail and 2) economic and property interests and borders would become really disputed.

Steve M. said...

I worry about the Convention of the States, but everything has to be passed by three quarters of the states to be put into the Constitution, so I'm hoping we still have 13 states liberal enough to head that off.